Basundhi is a sumptuous Maharashtrian and Gujarati dessert. It is basically delicious thickened sweet milk that has been garnished with dry fruits and saffron. Although equally tasty and unique, basundhi is different from the rabri as basundhi is liquid in consistency. Basundhi is usually served hot with poori. Makes your mouth water? Well, consider this, this rich creamy dessert also tastes absolutely amazing when served chilled. What’s more, basundhi takes only about 35 minutes to cook! If you are not too keen on making the usual milk cakes and looking at making an interesting dish, make basundhi today.
This Basundhi recipe stores well. You can store it in a food container and eat later, and it will still taste as delicious as freshly prepared.
Health Benefits
It is packed with calcium and contains essential vitamins too. Calcium helps maintain strong bones, muscles and helps in the prevention of cancer as well.
Ingredients
35 oz full cream milk
10 oz sugar
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp pistachios – sliced
1 tsp almonds – sliced
4 strands of saffron
2 tbsp whipping cream
How To Make Basundhi recipe
- Boil milk in a thick bottomed pan. Lower the flame and add the sliced pistachios and almonds to the milk.
- Keep boiling the milk on low flame for about 25 minutes. Stir the milk in between so that it doesn’t stick to the pan. Add sugar to the milk and stir till it dissolves completely.
- Boil on lower flame for 5 more minutes. Add cardamom powder and whipped cream to the thickened milk.
- Remove basundhi from heat. Transfer to a serving bowl.
Basundhi can also be made using condensed milk along with half the quantity of milk used in the above recipe. Use of condensed milk reduces the cooking time required for thickening of milk by half.
Trivia
The main ingredient in basundhi is milk. Did you know that humans started consuming and processed milk before they learned to grow crops? Archaeologists have discovered ceramic jars in the Balkans dating 7th century BCE. Milk has been widely used and mentioned throughout history. The Egyptians, Sumerians, Indians, Romans, and Mongolians considered Milk as the ‘food of the gods’.
Ancient Sumerian kings drank milk believing it made them strong and immortal. Milk has been attributed astronomical qualities by almost all civilizations. Genghis Khan, the great Mongolian conqueror, considered milk and yogurt to be the reason behind his warriors’ bravery. The beauty of the famous Egyptian queen Cleopatra is attributed to daily milk baths. Julius Caesar believed that the reason behind the well-built bodies of the Germans and Celts was drinking milk.